Four arrested for defrauding 180 people by promising them jobs abroad

According to the Samta Nagar police the victims, many from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Delhi, were allegedly duped through a fake recruitment firm operating in Kandivali East. The police said the accused ran a bogus company named ‘Star Man Power’ from an office in Dimple Arcade at Thakur Complex. They placed advertisements on social media platforms, including Facebook, offering skilled and semi-skilled jobs abroad in countries including Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Iraq. The posts promised work as drivers, helpers, fitters and packing staff.

Many victims approached the accused through the ads and several others were referred through acquaintances. Victims were asked to pay commissions ranging from ₹30,000 to ₹2.5 lakh, depending on the job profile. Police said the accused conducted fake medical tests, issued forged visas and flight tickets, and collected payments both in cash and through online transfers into multiple bank accounts. They also retained the passports of nearly 180 victims.

The case came to light after complainant Mahesh Chauhan, 25, visited the fake office in November and was promised a job in Russia. His passport was taken and he was asked to pay ₹75,000, of which he paid ₹35,000. On November 11, when he returned to collect his passport and ticket, he found the office shut.

After waiting for several hours, he noticed more than 100 people gathered outside the office. After talking to each other they realised that everyone had come to collect their passports and tickets. Some victims had even been given fake flight tickets.

One of the victims, Pradeep Gupta, said, “I paid ₹55,000 to the accused for a packing job in Russia. I took a loan to arrange the money and paid them both in cash and online.” Gupta said that the main accused had even changed his name and was earlier known as Santosh Yadav. “He has allegedly committed similar crimes twice in the past, and arrests were made in those cases as well.”

When victims tried contacting the accused, including the main accused, identified as Devraj Yadav, their phones were found switched off. The victims then approached the Samta Nagar police, who registered a case on December 3 under sections 318(4) (cheating), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

While the police registered the complaint promptly, the victims said arrests were delayed. They later approached the BJP office in Kandivali West and also contacted the ministry of commerce and industry. After an intervention by union minister and north Mumbai MP Piyush Goyal, the investigations allegedly sped up.

A police officer said that during the investigation, the police recovered around 180 passports from the residence of one of the accused. “We are contacting all the victims to return their passports. Four of the accused, including two women, have been arrested so far,” the officer added.